HERSHEY — Jordan Wood came oh so close to being where Thomas Haines was two years ago.

The Boyertown 220-pounder, arguably the best freshman upperweight in the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s 27-year history and absolutely one of the best upperweights in District 1’s eightysome-year history, lost a 7-2 decision to Haines during Saturday night’s final round of the PIAA-Class AAA Championships ... and that’s the same Thomas Haines who was touted as one of the best freshman upperweights in the Lancaster-Lebanon League and in all of District 3 when he won his first state title in 2011.

Wood, who had won 32 straight bouts going into the final with the two-time defending champion Haines, fell behind early on after being taken down. However, he got back to even with a takedown near the end of the opening period and another 43 seconds into the second.

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But Haines (38-1), known statewide for his strength on the mat and nationwide for his No. 3 ranking, escaped seconds into the final period, took Wood down 24 seconds later and put it away with a tilt — good for two near-fall points — to cap the scoring and deny Wood what would’ve been, in most fans’ minds, the monumental upset of state tournament.

“I knew all about him and I went out knowing I had to wrestle a two-time defending state champion in my head,” Wood admitted. “I wrestled scared, and that’s not the way I wanted to wrestle at all.

“I’m not mad about losing. I’m just mad about the way I wrestled. (Haines) wrestled a lot better. I wrestled defensively, and that can’t be your mindset when you go out there for any match.”

Wood, who finished up 46-2 — his only other loss back in late December — had been hailed as a state contender before head coach Pete Ventresca even penciled him into the Boyertown lineup for the first time this season.

And while Ventresca attempted to downplay the expectations of his prized 14-year-old, he was well aware of his potential from Day One ... and thus not shocked to be matside with him before some 8,000 fans Saturday night.

“I’m not surprised at all, not after coaching Jordan all year and seeing what type of wrestler he is and how intense he practices,” Ventresca said. “He’s no overnight success, either. He’s put in a lot of time, a lot of years, into this. He’s extremely motivated, extremely driven ... the kind of kid every coach dreams about coaching.”

And rightfully so.

Wood became the first freshman to medal in Boyertown’s long and storied wrestling history.

“Jordan’s an extremely quick kid for his size,” Ventresca said. “He has that very good mat savvy. He’s very strong with great hips, and all that makes it very tough for guys to wrestle him.”

All with the exception of Haines, who burst into the spotlight two years ago when he pinned Methacton’s Brandan Clark in the 215-pound final and proved it was no fluke after adding his second a year ago.

“(The state tournament) is really nerve-wracking,” he explained. “I got over most of (the nerves), most of them.

“It was a learning experience. But it’s going to take a while for me to get over it, though.”

* * *

Earlier, during Saturday morning’ semifinals, Wood defeated Pittsburgh Central Catholic junior Zach DeLucia, 7-4. A first-period takedown gave him a 2-0 advantage before DeLucia - the Southeast Regional champion - used an escape and takedown of his own to go on top 3-2. However, four seconds before that second-period buzzer, Wood reversed DeLucia for a 4-3 lead ... and he wouldn’t relinquish it from that point on, using an escape and takedown in the initial 28 seconds of the third period to put it out of DeLucia’s reach.

Wood now has the opportunity to become just the third area wrestler to win four state medals, joining former Upper Perkiomen teammates Chris Sheetz and Zack Kemmerer. Only six others have managed to win three state medals.

Boyertown has now won 14 state medals as a member of the PAC-10, second only to Upper Perkiomen’s 25. Owen J. Roberts, which picked up three this weekend (see related story), now has 11 to tie Spring-Ford for the league’s third-best mark. Pottstown’s five rounds out that category’s Top Five.

NOTES

Wood led District 1’s knockout punch at 220. Coatesville’s Mike Boykin, who came up short against Wood in last week’s Southeast Regional final, edged Council Rock North’s Tyler Callender, 5-3, in Saturday night’s third-place final. ... District 1 also placed all three of its qualifiers at 113, with Norristown’s Zach Fuentes (second), Pennridge’s Scott Parker (third) and Owen J. Roberts’ Derek Gulotta (eighth). ... Avon Grove’s Edgar Garcia and Boykin became their respective schools’ first state medalists in 30 years. Avon Grove’s only other medalist was Paul Kent (fourth in 1983), while Coatesville’s last medalist was Carroll Shuler (sixth in 1983). ... Penncrest’s Joe Gartland, who created quite a roar from the Giant Center crowd with his last-second, come-from-behind pin in the semifinals, became the Lions’ first state finalist. ... Council Rock South and Norristown, with one and two medalists, respectively, are now tied for the all-time lead among district schools with 28 each. ... Father Judge’s Joe Galasso became District 12’s first state champion after outlasting Central Dauphin’s top-ranked Tyson Dippery (47-3) in overtime at 138. ... Kennard-Dale junior Chance Marsteller, who won his third state title and ran his career record to a spotless 125-0, was named the OW. ... Canon-McMillan won the AAA team title with 99 points, well in front of Central Dauphin (75).